M2S adds thoracic endovascular aortic repair to its Clinical Data Pathways registry

West Lebanon, NH Apr 21, 2011 — M2S, Inc., a leading provider of medical image and clinical data analysis services, has added the thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) procedure form to its Clinical Data Pathways vascular quality improvement database, with the release of version 1.10 of the system. The Clinical Data Pathways database is the registry platform utilized by the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI), and now collects data on eight vascular procedures – carotid endarterectomy, carotid artery stent, open and endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, infra-inguinal and supra-inguinal bypass, peripheral vascular intervention, and TEVAR.
Clinical Data Pathways is a secure, web-based system for data entry and real-time benchmarked report generation. Pathways provides a common platform for VQI participating centers and physicians to collect data on pre-operative risk factors, intra-procedural variables, post-procedural outcomes, and one year follow-up data. Under the auspices of the Society for Vascular Surgery® Patient Safety Organization (SVS PSO), participants can analyze outcomes and processes of care, reinforce best practices, and share quality improvement efforts regionally, nationally, and internationally. Centers participating in VQI can also satisfy the requirements for Part IV of the Maintenance of Certification of the American Board of Surgery, collect the necessary data to meet CMS’ Carotid Artery Stent Facility Recertification, and participate in PQRS (Physician Quality Reporting System).
A key component of VQI is the formation of regional vascular quality improvement groups within the SVS PSO for the sharing of data to initiate quality improvement projects in an effort to improve patient care. The real-time, benchmarked reports generated through the Pathways system allows regional groups and participating centers to continuously assess themselves compared to an anonymous group of peers on key performance measures. Currently, regional quality groups are organized or organizing in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Carolinas, Florida, Texas, Southern California, Virginia, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada. The continued formation and expansion of regional quality groups will create a greater value for benchmarking clinical data among hospitals, as well as the rapid accumulation of data that can leverage quality improvement initiatives for detecting root causes of outcomes and improving long-term patient surveillance.